Decade Gate

The Decade Gate is one of the time‑regulated portals of the great clock housed in the Mynster. It is tied to a ten‑year cycle and opens as part of the decennial Apert, in tandem with the Year Gate.

First Appearance and Context

During a decennial opening at sunrise, the community gathers in the Mynster as two auxiliary weights descend on their rails to open the Year and Decade gates. In the same account, a first‑hand recollection describes standing inside the Decade Gate at sunrise as its stone‑and‑steel doors ground shut, underscoring its role as a formal boundary between intramuros and extramuros.

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

• Interval and actuation: The gate opens on a ten‑year rhythm and is powered by the octahedron auxiliary weight of the clock, which stores energy between openings and then descends to drive the mechanism.
• Observance: Its opening coincides with the decennial Apert, when traffic between the math and extramuros is briefly permitted. In this rite it is seen to open alongside the Year Gate.
• Community tie: In practice it is the Decenarian community’s portal, often referred to as the “Decenarian Gate,” reflecting its association with the Decenarian Math.

Relationships

• Mechanical setting: The gate is part of the Praesidium‑centered clockworks and is one of several interval gates; the Year Gate is its shorter‑cycle counterpart.
• Maintenance: Care and inspection of the chains, rails, and escapements that drive the gates are described as the province of the Ita.

Descriptions/Characteristics

• Weight and rails: The octahedron weight—described elsewhere as carved from dark stone—rides metal rails fixed to a pillar of the Praesidium. On the decennial opening it descends into view and slows to a halt just above the chancel floor.
• Doors: From within, the portal presents stone‑and‑steel doors that close with a grinding motion at the end of the opening period.

Current Status/Location

Observed opening at sunrise during a decennial Apert, functioning under clock control as part of the Mynster’s timed gate system.